Fake nails for cats?

[Nano]

I was looking through Cat Fancy magazine and came across an ad for Soft Claws Nail Caps, a fashionable and effective alternative to declawing.They come in 6 colors(They stated red would be great for Valentine's Day!). They last for weeks and help prevent damage due to cat scratching. Has anyone ever heard of them before or tried them? Maybe I'll get black for Tigger, blue for Smokey, and pink for Boo! lol!
There would be no way I could get Boo to stand for it! I don't think I'd have much of a hand left after I was done!

[Cassie]

I always thought they were cool looking but I'm afraid to give them a try for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, kitties need to claw at things to remove the outter husk of their claw. If the kitty isn't able to claw it off, they can accumulate and cause cuticle infections.

Secondly, I'm afraid that they may be accidently chewed off and pose a possible choking hazard because kitties gnaw at their toes as part of their normal grooming routine.

[halaroo]

I considered buying these a while ago, but have since come up with other "solutions" to the furniture-destroying problems we were having. I trim their nails a couple of times a week and supply them with a variety of different textures to scratch. They still scratch the chairs occasionally, but they're catching on.

[charbama]

I tried these on my cat Farley (may he rest in peace). They are difficult to put on by yourself so you might want to get someone to help. They are pretty inexpensive so it is worth a shot. You should also try the cardboard scratching boxes that you can either hang from a door knob or lay on the floor. Most of my cats love these but Farley was an exception. I ended up buying a three foot tall scratching post with sisel ( a rope type fabric) which was expensive but he loved it!! and it was cheaper than new furniture. I think he liked it because he was very long so he could really stretch. Stay away from the carpet covered ones because it will teach your cats to scratch carpet.

A friend of mine bought some sisel at a fabric store and made one for her cat who loved it as well. It was much cheaper so if you are handy you could easily make one yourself.

[t_chelle16]

We thought about those, but I did some reading and it seems that it's really easy to glue them to the cat's skin which can cause some serious problems.

I just stick to clipping their claws. I've found that if I sit in the recliner and get them under my left arm (almost in a headlock), they can't move much. If they try to back up, they back into the chair, if they go to either side, they run into me, if they try to go forward, they just hit my arm. I generally clip them every 2 - 3 weeks.

What's funny is Romeo is declawed (was that way when we adopted him - hate the proceedure, but I wasn't going to hold it against him). To make sure the other cats don't think he's getting special treatment I still have to pretend to clip his "claws". And after I'm done, Ten always goes up to him to make sure he's okay. I also have to yell at him for "clawing" at the walls & furniture even though he's not doing any damage.

-Chelle

[Mary_NH]

'chelle I might have to buy a recliner LOL
Missy is horrible for claw clipping but I like the recliner idea.
I can see it now "Paul we need a recliner" "what for" "so I can clip Missy's claws Mother's Day is coming up".
or I could be traditional and get him one for Father's Day!!!
But I can see where that would work.
gotta start saving my pennies.

[eman]